[FIC] Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? (pt 15)
Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 1:55 am
The Bell Jet Ranger helicopter flew close the to the tops of the taller buildings in the area, moving at full speed towards a general area of the city.
“Pilot, I have been given a general area to search. Avenue of the Americas over to Eleventh Avenue, and between 33rd and 51st streets. We will want to monitor all frequencies for any mention of a large white plume chute and its noteworthy payload.”
Sousuke rubbed at his eyes, trying to ease his worried feelings. He promised himself that he could worry for a whole week if he wanted, AFTER he had completed his mission.
He moved his shoulder. It hurt. The bleeding had been slowed, but not entirely stopped. The tight fit of the A.S. suit he now wore helped keep blood loss to mere seepage, but it would prove something to be reckoned with sooner or later.
His life didn't matter so much as the millions of unsuspecting lives in the general vicinity. Very few of them would be in an official position that allowed them to know the danger they faced. In a way, Sousuke envied them. But, he was glad he sat where he did. There was no one else he would entrust this job to.
And, there was a small number of lives he particulary wanted to protect more than the others. There was no surprise regarding the name foremost in his mind: Kaname.
“Roger that. Hope it doesn’t float down into Hell’s Kitchen!” The police pilot chuckled.
“What? Is there a problem?” Sousuke didn’t need any more of a problem than he already faced. That name conjured up all sorts of nefarious and infernal images. Gangsters. Demons. Street punks. Displaced souls.
He…… did…… not…… need…… this…… now……
“No, I was just kidding. It once had a rich history of crime and bloodshed. Now, known as Clinton, it’s a vibrant neighborhood currently battling against encroaching gentrification. Funny, the neighborhood is actually worried about becoming too nice.”
Sousuke frowned. If he failed, the past history of the great city would be a memoria,l and all attempts at beautification would be rendered moot. He closed his eyes and grabbed his seat arm fiercely.
The stress and anxiety were threatening to overwhelm him again.
There was nothing that would make him wish to live through his ordeal in North Korea again, but he wondered if the raw primal entity he had become there might not be preferable to the doubt and trepidation he was beset by now.
His phone rang.
“Sagara.”
Sousuke listened, jotting down notes on a map of Manhattan.
“Yes, Sir. I understand. We are approaching the LZ. I will get Arbalest moving as soon as possible. I understand that we are in a large metropolitan area, but has consideration been given to a cruise missile onslaught from multiple systems, including the nearest USN boats? Cobalt and zinc by themselves would be inert and harmless. The relative minimal damage would be preferable to holocaust.”
He listened some more.
“I understand, Sir. Sagara out.”
The enemy A.S. type had been identified. Habu class, with possible Lambda Diver technology. Older prototype Grendel machines, either sold by that organization… given out to like minded groups… or operated by that gang of maniacs.
In all likelihood, the L.D. equipment had been removed, leaving a fair amount of space for bomb components, if they chose to internalize the devices rather than drag an external weapon. If so, that raised a frightful philosophical point---they may not be interested in fighting or winning… all they needed to do was detonate their bombs.
Anywhere.
As soon as they wished.
“Sergeant, we have a sighting.” The pilot called back to Sousuke just as the copter flew over the southeast corner of central Park. “The parachute just missed the top of the Chrysler Building. Impact has been reported in the vicinity of the Whitney Museum Annex on Park Avenue.”
“How much longer?” Sousuke looked at his watch. Not to long ago, he had been in the middle of a battle at building built like a house of God. Now, he was headed into the very center of Hell.
“We should be there in a couple of minutes. Sir, there is also a report of an occurrence at the United Nations building. It’s under attack by two large mechanical vehicles.” The pilot was obviously not familiar with Arm Slaves.
“Scan all frequencies. Listen for some type of statement made by a terrorist organization!” Sousuke was certain that the attack on the U.N. was an attention getter, a dramatic event that would precede some kind of grand announcement. After that was finished, all bets were off.
The soliloquy was not long in coming.
Two vaguely similar voices decried the sins of the richer nations, saying that the destruction of the U.N. facilities would be symbolic, a foreshadowing of their more drastic statement. New York was a symbol of strength and unity for the American people, following the terrible tragedy of 9/11. Soon, it would be a proof that terrorist organizations would be the true rulers of mankind.
“There, Sergeant. Looks like your machine is drawing quite a crowd.” The helicopter pilot made one circle around the missile canister that contained the ARX-7. “Do you want to run a line down to a building top…onto the canister itself… or on the ground near the crowd?” All good landing sites were too far from their objective.
“Take the quickest route. There is no time to waste.” Sousuke prepared to rappel down a long coiled rope. He loaded tear gas grenades into his F2000.
Taking a small picture of Kaname out of his shirt pocket, he looked at it for a moment before putting it back.
“Hold on, we’re going in. OK, ready when you are. Godspeed, Sergeant!”
Sousuke’s heart was pounding, beating way beyond its normal level. He began to feel dizzy, an oddity since he had never been bothered by heights before. Damn those medicines! They better do what was needed!!!
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Should he have taken any medicine? Had he already made a fatal mistake???
Sousuke was hanging onto the rope, just about to slide on down. He clenched his teeth tightly, feeling as if he was going to vomit. His phone went off.
“Wait a moment, pilot!” Answering, he found out what the tactical officer aboard Da Danaan had wanted to pass along.
A gaggle of M8s had been airlifted into the area after Mithril’s communique to its secret representatives in the U.S. military. But, when the organization had passed along its suppositions, the Army agreed to hold off temporarily. Likewise, a group of attack aircraft were circling overhead, trying not to fly close enough to frighten the populace or draw the attention of the intruders. They too were waiting.
It was all in Sousuke’s hands.
That certainly did not help his nervous stomach.
“Departing now!” This time, he slid down the line, landing near the base of the cylinder. He bent over and retched for a few short moments.
A fair sized group of spectators had already gathered, wanting to see the huge metal object that had just missed the Grand Central Terminal.
“I tell you man, I seen somethin’ like that on that movie. War of the Worlds!” One young man in a puffy vest was waving his arm at a group of his buddies. “ Except in the movie, it was really hot, and all covered with rocks or something’”
“Bullshit!!! Aliens? Martians? You think some giant robot or something is going to come out of there? R-i-i-i-i-i-g-h-t….”Another boy in tattered jeans and a headband had the whole group laughing. He began walking around stiff-legged like an automaton.
Police were beginning to arrive on the scene. Taxi cabs began to stack up one behind another, drivers and passengers wanting to know what was going on. A small private aircraft was circling the area, as were a number of helicopters belonging to the media.
“Everybody move back!” Sousuke began to grow angry. He had no time for rubberneckers and gadflies. “NOW!!!”
“Oh yeh. Says who, mister fancy suit?” One of the boys towered over Sousuke.
“It’s not Halloween, sweetheart….” A second boy said. “You some kind of pimp? You hookin’ it?”
“We goy here first dude. F-ck off!!!” The third boys nodded to his friends who all began closing in.
Sousuke brought up the F2000. Firing a series of tear gas grenades, he put on his small respirator and went about cracking open the delivery pod. A hiss of compressed air could be heard blocks away..
“Al, Sergeant Sagara now present.” Sousuke spoke his identification number and ordered Arbalest to open its hatch. The machine complied as ordered.
“Close hatch.” Sousuke was soon snug in place, his gear stowed and his station operational.
“Yes, Sergeant.” The A.I.effected the closure.
“Full speed forward, Al. Begin Lambda Driver initiation sequence.” Sousuke typed in ‘Habu’ into his serach engine, wanting to pull up any available data on the type of A.S. he would be facing.
“Yes, Sergeant.”
The crowd quickly parted when the Arm Slave began moving. Sousuke vaulted over the snarled traffic, just missing a number of awestruck pedestrians. He left the ECS off. He wanted people to see him, so they would move out of his way.
“Al, activate external speakers. Play an amplified warning on a continual loop. Coordinate all detection systems, attempting to avoid all living creatures as far as possible. However, do not slow down if impact is unavoidable. Time is the highest priority. The shortest rout is mandatory.” Sousuke knew it was the right order for the situation. That did not quiet the building deluge of helplessness, dismay, impotence, and guilt.
He cursed.
Fine time to have a conscience, over-developed or otherwise.
“Affirmative. Sergeant, we just flattened a taxi and portion of a large bus. Casulaties are estimated at….”
“Stop!!! Al, do not keep a running inventory. Report Lambda Driver status.” Sousuke felt queasy again. He knew that everyone would die if he failed, but the thought of people being killed by the ARX-7 had him nauseous again. His emotions were clearly going to remain amplified and out of control.
This was NOT the time for that!!!
“All fins extended. Field density rising exponentially. Frequency modulation fluctuating in logarithmic fashion. At 50% efficiency and steadily increasing. Three minutes to full operational status.”
Sousuke watched as the scenes of 42nd street passed by. The immense spire of the Chrysler Building filled his view screen. That famous structure had been destroyed in a number of recent monster and disaster movies. He hoped it would still be standing at the end of the day.
Passing over Second Avenue, he caught sight of the United Nations building, located just west of the East River.
“Sergeant, that was an ambulance….”
“I said no reports on collateral damage, Al!!!”
“Yes, Sergeant.”
Why were there so many automobiles? Sousuke accessed a street map on one quadrant of his H.U.D. Something had probably caused a major back up at the Queens Midtown Tunnel. It could be the enemy vehicles. Regardless, the large arteries were packed with cars and pedestrians.
“Al, find the path of least resistance. Preserve as many lives as possible. Permission to use rocket boosters in any necessary leaps.” Sousuke was hyper-alert. He should be arriving on the scene any moment now. “Launch the RPV.”
“Yes, Sergeant.” The ARX-7 jumped skyward, clearing a long stretch of honking cars and buses. A small remotely piloted drone fired out of a spare rocket tube, making a slow climb between buildings. “Incoming signals indicate that radio sets are searching our frequency pattern. Should I scramble, or allow contact?”
Who could that be? The enemy?
“Open transmission, Al.”
“Ahhhhhhh………Mithril…………” A low self-satisfied voice oozed over the com set. The accent was hard to place. “Nice to see you here today.” Was it an Eastern European drawl? Middle Eastern? There were characteristics reminiscent of both.
“Yes……… and I thought this wasn’t going to be any fun. A man shouldn’t go to his martyrdom without some fun.” The voice on the second channel was similar, but somewhat higher in pitch. Was the speaker related to the owner of the first voice?
Sousuke didn’t answer.
“Come on-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n, Mithril…….. don’t be like that. We know who you are. Who hasn’t gotten reports of that machine?” The second speaker spoke again, sounding amused.
“Yes. No need to guess who we are up against today. The mysterious young man who took out that shining star of Amalgam. The same nosy interloper who spoiled Grendel’s party in NK. Do we have the name right? Is that Sagara Sousuke, or Sousuke Sagara. I always mess up that foreign stuff.” The first speaker seemed to know of him. That would place him in one of the sophisticated groups, or a smaller group with big time information sources.
“He sure does, ” the other voice chuckled. “Not me… but Mom always liked him more anyway.”
“Right! You don’t know who our mother was, either. Or our father.” The voice sounded a bit frayed when it laughed. “It’s so hard to find clever brothers… did you know that, Mr. Mithril?”
“Call him Sousuke… we should be on friendly terms, while we still can….” Both voices laughed.
Sousuke remained quiet.
Just who was he up against? He did not remember hearing about brother teams in any of the known opposing groups. Why were they here? Were they insane, or did they believe they had some way to escape the tragedy they were about to bring about?
“Oh, some on Sousuke. Let’s let’s be friends while we still can!” The one voice spoke while the one on the other channel whistled up a lively tune. “We only have a few more camera shots to pose for, then it’s time for some big time fun.”
“B----o----o----o----o----o----o----o----o----o----m----!----!----!” The whistling gave way to an ear-shattering howl.
“But, it’s OK if you don’t want to say anything, I guess. Any way you cut it, you’re an extra special bonus. We get to go out in a blaze of glory when we go down. We get to take Sergeant Sagara and the ARX-7 down with us.”
Sousuke’s eyebrows shot up. He wasn’t a psychologist, but he had an idea. It was time to see if it had any chance of working.
“Sagara here. You are mistaken. You can set off whatever type of explosion you like, cobalt or otherwise. I shall remain unharmed. Obviously, you don’t know as much about Arbalest as you think you do. I will walk away from this, even if others do not. If you did not have a coward’s weapon…. and I did not have the Lambda Driver…. there would be nothing for me to fear from the likes of you.” Sousuke made his voice drip with contempt. His hand trembled on the control lever. While he may sound arrogant, he was close to passing out from anxiety.
Sousuke realized what he hated most about the medications. The unpredicatability. At The Cloisters, he had been through a range of emotions, but had hovered mostly around anger. That impulse had been useful. The strong negative urges had actually helped him do his job there. What good was fear and anxiety?
They were natural responses. Each should be expected now. In a small dose, neither would be disruptive, and both might actually prove useful. Small dose. Medicine. Ahhh. Perhaps it wasn't unpredictable after all. It was accentuating his strongest emotions at the time! He had been very angry heading into the museum.
He had every right to be anxious and afraid now, considering everything that was at stake. How could he possibly combat that?
He needed help of some kind.
What?
Shutting off the outside channels, he spoke to the A.I. “Al, I am punching in a number on the keyboard now. Place that number on repeat speed dial. If someone answers, patch the call into my headset.”
“Yes, Sergeant.”
“Yes, I suppose I did forget about that special little toy….” The first voice said.
“I didn’t. I was ALWAYS the smarter one.” The second voice chuckled.
“Shut up!!!” The two argued back and forth for a minute. The image of their two huge blue Arm Slaves filled the television screen. “Oh, what’s THAT?” The picture vanished as a shot from a huge flechette cannon took out the RPV.
“Where do they get such great stuff from? Why don’t we have some of those?” The two voices had said the same thing at the same time.
Both unidentified individuals laughed.
“As I was about to say, we are not stupid, Sergeant. We are not about to get into some kind of battle with you, get destroyed, and fail to set off our special party favors. Nice try though!”
“The Romanian judge gives him a 7! The French judge is off to court!” The one voice began humming the Olympics theme.
“You are mistaken. Unless I score a catastrophic kill on both of you at once, you always retain the ability to set off one bomb. Correct? How many do you really require to cause unprecedented destruction? If I promise not to use the Lambda Driver… and the two of you are not simply the only one’s in the organization stupid enough to kill yourselves…. we may be able to have a challenging contest.”
“I don’t think….” One voce actually sounded angry.
“Come on! That sounds great. Don’t be such a wuss!!!” The other voice was obviously eager. Good.
“It’s probably a trick….” The sense of doubt was strong.
“How? If he can defeat us both hand to hand, and he destroys the mechanism, then we deserve to fail. We won’t fail. We never have. Never even came close.” That voice was confident, almost contagiously so.
“That’s true….” Concession. A sense of longing.
“I accept for him. I accept for me too. Oh, and I accept for you. No chance to back out now!!!” Finality.
“Affirmative,” Sousuke said. They might be fooling him. It wouldn’t change his plan of action. All it did was give him a chance. A slim one was better than none. He began circling the U.N. complex warily, trying to judge the behavior of his foes and looking for any opening that would let him move in quickly and strike decisively.
If only he could get himself under control.
The connection with the Lambda Driver was currently superb, as good or better than the merging he had felt in Eastern Asia. He would give the new medicine credit for that. But, if he couldn’t think or fight properly because of his emotional state, the best connection in the universe wouldn’t matter.
One thing was for certain, he was not about to keep his word. He had a particular plan in mind for the Lambda Driver, but would wait until the opportune time to use it. He hoped it could do what he had in mind.
“Al, I am entering simulation parameters and a challenge analysis. I want you to work on the matter, non-stop, full priority function. Come up with all possible L.D. solutions. Begin.” Sousuke had thought about his plan on the way over. He had no idea if it would work. Despite the fact that he was the only Mithril pilot capable of operating the sole Lambda Driver capable A.S. in the organization, the big brains still refused to explain the full capability of that device.
Maybe they just didn’t know themselves.
“Working.” A string of lights flashed on an off at variable rates and the A.I. Went about its important business.
A buzzer sounded. The computers were too deep into computations to notify him or make the connection. Sousuke handled the switchboard himself.
“Sagara.”
“Sousuke!!!!” It was Kaname.
“Yes.”
“Sousuke… are you alright… you can’t be finished yet, can you?” Kaname sounded breathless.
“No. I am about to enter battle. I need your help. You are the only person I wanted to call.” Sousuke’s voice cracked. He cursed himself and his weakness. He couldn’t afford to let that happen while he spoke to his foes. Then again… if they thought he was wilting under pressure….
“I don’t understand… are you hurt…. you’re not dying are you….” Kaname gasped. Sousuke didn’t want her to start getting too emotional.
“I am physically sound. Mentally and emotionally I am weak. The medicines. I cannot fight them alone. I needed to hear your voice.” Kaname had helped him on a number of previous occasions. She was the logical choice, for many different reasons.
Sousuke had fleeting images of Khanka, with Kaname telling him that evil men wanted to do things to her body and would do so, if he didn't help her. He remembered sliding under Behemoth, firing at the intakes, realizing he would never have found them without Kaname's help. And Korea... the thought of her pulled him through there.
She had been his co-pilot, squadmate, or support troop in her own way.
“Sousuke…I…. Sure, I’ll do whatever I can….” Kaname sounded strong, eager, and a touch pensive.
“Just like in Khanka, Kaname. If you speak to me while I fight, I may be able to hold on. I will not need instruction, but will require the sound of your voice. I said I can do anything when I’m with you. I wish you were here with me. Your voice will be the next best thing.” There was no disguising the tenderness in his voice.
“I love you, Sousuke. I mean that. I would do anything for you.”
“Thank you, Kaname. You will never understand what that means to me. I love you too. I will need to speak with others from time to time. I can not explain why, now. But, could you please just talk to me. I can listen to that, no matter what else I am doing.”
“Yes, Sousuke. What should I talk about?” Her voice sent shivers through Sousuke. It was the same tone she used when she asked ‘Where would like to eat tonight?’ or ‘Where should I drag you shopping this time?’
“You are my heart, Kaname. Let it come from your heart.”
Sousuke heard a sound like sniffling. Kaname was probably crying.
“You just go and do your job, soldier.” Her voice got stronger. “Let me see. Yes, I know. I remember when I came to school one morning. I had been in the shower for the longest time. I felt so good, like there wasn’t a care in the world. While I yelled at Kyouko for a blind date she had set me up with, I noticed a strange new boy walk up to the school. He was stopped by the teacher. He had a gun in his book case. That military maniac. How could I know what that boy would come to mean to me….”
Kaname spoke about good times and bad. Happy times and sad times. She spoke of her feelings and his strengths. Sousuke felt himself growing calmer and stronger. As long as that voice didn’t stop, he wouldn’t be stopped.
He flipped one switch, priming all of the available Javelin missiles. Another switch fired up the Hellbore. Someone may have reasoned that the weapon could fuse parts of the bombs, making them inoperable. Whether or not that logic held true, there was going to be a hot time in the old town tonight. The sun was headed down.
The denizens of New York City were about to be treated to a light show… one way or another.
Bofors 57mm cannon in the ARX-7s free hand, Sousuke pushed the control levers and pedals full ahead. It was time to lay it all on the line.
The world would know in a matter of minutes whether or not he was successful.
“Time to hunt, brother.” The one enemy spoke in a low and hungry voice.
“Yes… me first!” The second speaker was excited, his voice brittle and sharp.
“No…. ME!!!” That voice was insistent, commanding.
Kaname’s voice continued as well.
“And then, I came out on my balcony. Know what I saw there? That boy? That idiot in a uniform! He was holding my panties. Oooooh… I could have killed him. I DID give him some lumps to remember with my softball bat. But you know, if he makes it back alive, I will let him take my panties if he wants, some day….”
“Uh… Kaname… I… need to be able to concentrate….” Sousuke was blushing. The same feelings that threatened to take control of him at The Clositers on a couple of occasions were looking for another chance.
“Oh, sorry. Eh hemmmmm. The next day, when we were lining up to go through checkout at the airport….”
Sousuke saw the two Habu Arm Slaves leap towards him. One machine held a wicked looking Multi-barrel cannon. The other held something that looked like a giant taser.
“Thank you, Kaname.” Sousuke whispered.
“Pilot, I have been given a general area to search. Avenue of the Americas over to Eleventh Avenue, and between 33rd and 51st streets. We will want to monitor all frequencies for any mention of a large white plume chute and its noteworthy payload.”
Sousuke rubbed at his eyes, trying to ease his worried feelings. He promised himself that he could worry for a whole week if he wanted, AFTER he had completed his mission.
He moved his shoulder. It hurt. The bleeding had been slowed, but not entirely stopped. The tight fit of the A.S. suit he now wore helped keep blood loss to mere seepage, but it would prove something to be reckoned with sooner or later.
His life didn't matter so much as the millions of unsuspecting lives in the general vicinity. Very few of them would be in an official position that allowed them to know the danger they faced. In a way, Sousuke envied them. But, he was glad he sat where he did. There was no one else he would entrust this job to.
And, there was a small number of lives he particulary wanted to protect more than the others. There was no surprise regarding the name foremost in his mind: Kaname.
“Roger that. Hope it doesn’t float down into Hell’s Kitchen!” The police pilot chuckled.
“What? Is there a problem?” Sousuke didn’t need any more of a problem than he already faced. That name conjured up all sorts of nefarious and infernal images. Gangsters. Demons. Street punks. Displaced souls.
He…… did…… not…… need…… this…… now……
“No, I was just kidding. It once had a rich history of crime and bloodshed. Now, known as Clinton, it’s a vibrant neighborhood currently battling against encroaching gentrification. Funny, the neighborhood is actually worried about becoming too nice.”
Sousuke frowned. If he failed, the past history of the great city would be a memoria,l and all attempts at beautification would be rendered moot. He closed his eyes and grabbed his seat arm fiercely.
The stress and anxiety were threatening to overwhelm him again.
There was nothing that would make him wish to live through his ordeal in North Korea again, but he wondered if the raw primal entity he had become there might not be preferable to the doubt and trepidation he was beset by now.
His phone rang.
“Sagara.”
Sousuke listened, jotting down notes on a map of Manhattan.
“Yes, Sir. I understand. We are approaching the LZ. I will get Arbalest moving as soon as possible. I understand that we are in a large metropolitan area, but has consideration been given to a cruise missile onslaught from multiple systems, including the nearest USN boats? Cobalt and zinc by themselves would be inert and harmless. The relative minimal damage would be preferable to holocaust.”
He listened some more.
“I understand, Sir. Sagara out.”
The enemy A.S. type had been identified. Habu class, with possible Lambda Diver technology. Older prototype Grendel machines, either sold by that organization… given out to like minded groups… or operated by that gang of maniacs.
In all likelihood, the L.D. equipment had been removed, leaving a fair amount of space for bomb components, if they chose to internalize the devices rather than drag an external weapon. If so, that raised a frightful philosophical point---they may not be interested in fighting or winning… all they needed to do was detonate their bombs.
Anywhere.
As soon as they wished.
“Sergeant, we have a sighting.” The pilot called back to Sousuke just as the copter flew over the southeast corner of central Park. “The parachute just missed the top of the Chrysler Building. Impact has been reported in the vicinity of the Whitney Museum Annex on Park Avenue.”
“How much longer?” Sousuke looked at his watch. Not to long ago, he had been in the middle of a battle at building built like a house of God. Now, he was headed into the very center of Hell.
“We should be there in a couple of minutes. Sir, there is also a report of an occurrence at the United Nations building. It’s under attack by two large mechanical vehicles.” The pilot was obviously not familiar with Arm Slaves.
“Scan all frequencies. Listen for some type of statement made by a terrorist organization!” Sousuke was certain that the attack on the U.N. was an attention getter, a dramatic event that would precede some kind of grand announcement. After that was finished, all bets were off.
The soliloquy was not long in coming.
Two vaguely similar voices decried the sins of the richer nations, saying that the destruction of the U.N. facilities would be symbolic, a foreshadowing of their more drastic statement. New York was a symbol of strength and unity for the American people, following the terrible tragedy of 9/11. Soon, it would be a proof that terrorist organizations would be the true rulers of mankind.
“There, Sergeant. Looks like your machine is drawing quite a crowd.” The helicopter pilot made one circle around the missile canister that contained the ARX-7. “Do you want to run a line down to a building top…onto the canister itself… or on the ground near the crowd?” All good landing sites were too far from their objective.
“Take the quickest route. There is no time to waste.” Sousuke prepared to rappel down a long coiled rope. He loaded tear gas grenades into his F2000.
Taking a small picture of Kaname out of his shirt pocket, he looked at it for a moment before putting it back.
“Hold on, we’re going in. OK, ready when you are. Godspeed, Sergeant!”
Sousuke’s heart was pounding, beating way beyond its normal level. He began to feel dizzy, an oddity since he had never been bothered by heights before. Damn those medicines! They better do what was needed!!!
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Should he have taken any medicine? Had he already made a fatal mistake???
Sousuke was hanging onto the rope, just about to slide on down. He clenched his teeth tightly, feeling as if he was going to vomit. His phone went off.
“Wait a moment, pilot!” Answering, he found out what the tactical officer aboard Da Danaan had wanted to pass along.
A gaggle of M8s had been airlifted into the area after Mithril’s communique to its secret representatives in the U.S. military. But, when the organization had passed along its suppositions, the Army agreed to hold off temporarily. Likewise, a group of attack aircraft were circling overhead, trying not to fly close enough to frighten the populace or draw the attention of the intruders. They too were waiting.
It was all in Sousuke’s hands.
That certainly did not help his nervous stomach.
“Departing now!” This time, he slid down the line, landing near the base of the cylinder. He bent over and retched for a few short moments.
A fair sized group of spectators had already gathered, wanting to see the huge metal object that had just missed the Grand Central Terminal.
“I tell you man, I seen somethin’ like that on that movie. War of the Worlds!” One young man in a puffy vest was waving his arm at a group of his buddies. “ Except in the movie, it was really hot, and all covered with rocks or something’”
“Bullshit!!! Aliens? Martians? You think some giant robot or something is going to come out of there? R-i-i-i-i-i-g-h-t….”Another boy in tattered jeans and a headband had the whole group laughing. He began walking around stiff-legged like an automaton.
Police were beginning to arrive on the scene. Taxi cabs began to stack up one behind another, drivers and passengers wanting to know what was going on. A small private aircraft was circling the area, as were a number of helicopters belonging to the media.
“Everybody move back!” Sousuke began to grow angry. He had no time for rubberneckers and gadflies. “NOW!!!”
“Oh yeh. Says who, mister fancy suit?” One of the boys towered over Sousuke.
“It’s not Halloween, sweetheart….” A second boy said. “You some kind of pimp? You hookin’ it?”
“We goy here first dude. F-ck off!!!” The third boys nodded to his friends who all began closing in.
Sousuke brought up the F2000. Firing a series of tear gas grenades, he put on his small respirator and went about cracking open the delivery pod. A hiss of compressed air could be heard blocks away..
“Al, Sergeant Sagara now present.” Sousuke spoke his identification number and ordered Arbalest to open its hatch. The machine complied as ordered.
“Close hatch.” Sousuke was soon snug in place, his gear stowed and his station operational.
“Yes, Sergeant.” The A.I.effected the closure.
“Full speed forward, Al. Begin Lambda Driver initiation sequence.” Sousuke typed in ‘Habu’ into his serach engine, wanting to pull up any available data on the type of A.S. he would be facing.
“Yes, Sergeant.”
The crowd quickly parted when the Arm Slave began moving. Sousuke vaulted over the snarled traffic, just missing a number of awestruck pedestrians. He left the ECS off. He wanted people to see him, so they would move out of his way.
“Al, activate external speakers. Play an amplified warning on a continual loop. Coordinate all detection systems, attempting to avoid all living creatures as far as possible. However, do not slow down if impact is unavoidable. Time is the highest priority. The shortest rout is mandatory.” Sousuke knew it was the right order for the situation. That did not quiet the building deluge of helplessness, dismay, impotence, and guilt.
He cursed.
Fine time to have a conscience, over-developed or otherwise.
“Affirmative. Sergeant, we just flattened a taxi and portion of a large bus. Casulaties are estimated at….”
“Stop!!! Al, do not keep a running inventory. Report Lambda Driver status.” Sousuke felt queasy again. He knew that everyone would die if he failed, but the thought of people being killed by the ARX-7 had him nauseous again. His emotions were clearly going to remain amplified and out of control.
This was NOT the time for that!!!
“All fins extended. Field density rising exponentially. Frequency modulation fluctuating in logarithmic fashion. At 50% efficiency and steadily increasing. Three minutes to full operational status.”
Sousuke watched as the scenes of 42nd street passed by. The immense spire of the Chrysler Building filled his view screen. That famous structure had been destroyed in a number of recent monster and disaster movies. He hoped it would still be standing at the end of the day.
Passing over Second Avenue, he caught sight of the United Nations building, located just west of the East River.
“Sergeant, that was an ambulance….”
“I said no reports on collateral damage, Al!!!”
“Yes, Sergeant.”
Why were there so many automobiles? Sousuke accessed a street map on one quadrant of his H.U.D. Something had probably caused a major back up at the Queens Midtown Tunnel. It could be the enemy vehicles. Regardless, the large arteries were packed with cars and pedestrians.
“Al, find the path of least resistance. Preserve as many lives as possible. Permission to use rocket boosters in any necessary leaps.” Sousuke was hyper-alert. He should be arriving on the scene any moment now. “Launch the RPV.”
“Yes, Sergeant.” The ARX-7 jumped skyward, clearing a long stretch of honking cars and buses. A small remotely piloted drone fired out of a spare rocket tube, making a slow climb between buildings. “Incoming signals indicate that radio sets are searching our frequency pattern. Should I scramble, or allow contact?”
Who could that be? The enemy?
“Open transmission, Al.”
“Ahhhhhhh………Mithril…………” A low self-satisfied voice oozed over the com set. The accent was hard to place. “Nice to see you here today.” Was it an Eastern European drawl? Middle Eastern? There were characteristics reminiscent of both.
“Yes……… and I thought this wasn’t going to be any fun. A man shouldn’t go to his martyrdom without some fun.” The voice on the second channel was similar, but somewhat higher in pitch. Was the speaker related to the owner of the first voice?
Sousuke didn’t answer.
“Come on-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n, Mithril…….. don’t be like that. We know who you are. Who hasn’t gotten reports of that machine?” The second speaker spoke again, sounding amused.
“Yes. No need to guess who we are up against today. The mysterious young man who took out that shining star of Amalgam. The same nosy interloper who spoiled Grendel’s party in NK. Do we have the name right? Is that Sagara Sousuke, or Sousuke Sagara. I always mess up that foreign stuff.” The first speaker seemed to know of him. That would place him in one of the sophisticated groups, or a smaller group with big time information sources.
“He sure does, ” the other voice chuckled. “Not me… but Mom always liked him more anyway.”
“Right! You don’t know who our mother was, either. Or our father.” The voice sounded a bit frayed when it laughed. “It’s so hard to find clever brothers… did you know that, Mr. Mithril?”
“Call him Sousuke… we should be on friendly terms, while we still can….” Both voices laughed.
Sousuke remained quiet.
Just who was he up against? He did not remember hearing about brother teams in any of the known opposing groups. Why were they here? Were they insane, or did they believe they had some way to escape the tragedy they were about to bring about?
“Oh, some on Sousuke. Let’s let’s be friends while we still can!” The one voice spoke while the one on the other channel whistled up a lively tune. “We only have a few more camera shots to pose for, then it’s time for some big time fun.”
“B----o----o----o----o----o----o----o----o----o----m----!----!----!” The whistling gave way to an ear-shattering howl.
“But, it’s OK if you don’t want to say anything, I guess. Any way you cut it, you’re an extra special bonus. We get to go out in a blaze of glory when we go down. We get to take Sergeant Sagara and the ARX-7 down with us.”
Sousuke’s eyebrows shot up. He wasn’t a psychologist, but he had an idea. It was time to see if it had any chance of working.
“Sagara here. You are mistaken. You can set off whatever type of explosion you like, cobalt or otherwise. I shall remain unharmed. Obviously, you don’t know as much about Arbalest as you think you do. I will walk away from this, even if others do not. If you did not have a coward’s weapon…. and I did not have the Lambda Driver…. there would be nothing for me to fear from the likes of you.” Sousuke made his voice drip with contempt. His hand trembled on the control lever. While he may sound arrogant, he was close to passing out from anxiety.
Sousuke realized what he hated most about the medications. The unpredicatability. At The Cloisters, he had been through a range of emotions, but had hovered mostly around anger. That impulse had been useful. The strong negative urges had actually helped him do his job there. What good was fear and anxiety?
They were natural responses. Each should be expected now. In a small dose, neither would be disruptive, and both might actually prove useful. Small dose. Medicine. Ahhh. Perhaps it wasn't unpredictable after all. It was accentuating his strongest emotions at the time! He had been very angry heading into the museum.
He had every right to be anxious and afraid now, considering everything that was at stake. How could he possibly combat that?
He needed help of some kind.
What?
Shutting off the outside channels, he spoke to the A.I. “Al, I am punching in a number on the keyboard now. Place that number on repeat speed dial. If someone answers, patch the call into my headset.”
“Yes, Sergeant.”
“Yes, I suppose I did forget about that special little toy….” The first voice said.
“I didn’t. I was ALWAYS the smarter one.” The second voice chuckled.
“Shut up!!!” The two argued back and forth for a minute. The image of their two huge blue Arm Slaves filled the television screen. “Oh, what’s THAT?” The picture vanished as a shot from a huge flechette cannon took out the RPV.
“Where do they get such great stuff from? Why don’t we have some of those?” The two voices had said the same thing at the same time.
Both unidentified individuals laughed.
“As I was about to say, we are not stupid, Sergeant. We are not about to get into some kind of battle with you, get destroyed, and fail to set off our special party favors. Nice try though!”
“The Romanian judge gives him a 7! The French judge is off to court!” The one voice began humming the Olympics theme.
“You are mistaken. Unless I score a catastrophic kill on both of you at once, you always retain the ability to set off one bomb. Correct? How many do you really require to cause unprecedented destruction? If I promise not to use the Lambda Driver… and the two of you are not simply the only one’s in the organization stupid enough to kill yourselves…. we may be able to have a challenging contest.”
“I don’t think….” One voce actually sounded angry.
“Come on! That sounds great. Don’t be such a wuss!!!” The other voice was obviously eager. Good.
“It’s probably a trick….” The sense of doubt was strong.
“How? If he can defeat us both hand to hand, and he destroys the mechanism, then we deserve to fail. We won’t fail. We never have. Never even came close.” That voice was confident, almost contagiously so.
“That’s true….” Concession. A sense of longing.
“I accept for him. I accept for me too. Oh, and I accept for you. No chance to back out now!!!” Finality.
“Affirmative,” Sousuke said. They might be fooling him. It wouldn’t change his plan of action. All it did was give him a chance. A slim one was better than none. He began circling the U.N. complex warily, trying to judge the behavior of his foes and looking for any opening that would let him move in quickly and strike decisively.
If only he could get himself under control.
The connection with the Lambda Driver was currently superb, as good or better than the merging he had felt in Eastern Asia. He would give the new medicine credit for that. But, if he couldn’t think or fight properly because of his emotional state, the best connection in the universe wouldn’t matter.
One thing was for certain, he was not about to keep his word. He had a particular plan in mind for the Lambda Driver, but would wait until the opportune time to use it. He hoped it could do what he had in mind.
“Al, I am entering simulation parameters and a challenge analysis. I want you to work on the matter, non-stop, full priority function. Come up with all possible L.D. solutions. Begin.” Sousuke had thought about his plan on the way over. He had no idea if it would work. Despite the fact that he was the only Mithril pilot capable of operating the sole Lambda Driver capable A.S. in the organization, the big brains still refused to explain the full capability of that device.
Maybe they just didn’t know themselves.
“Working.” A string of lights flashed on an off at variable rates and the A.I. Went about its important business.
A buzzer sounded. The computers were too deep into computations to notify him or make the connection. Sousuke handled the switchboard himself.
“Sagara.”
“Sousuke!!!!” It was Kaname.
“Yes.”
“Sousuke… are you alright… you can’t be finished yet, can you?” Kaname sounded breathless.
“No. I am about to enter battle. I need your help. You are the only person I wanted to call.” Sousuke’s voice cracked. He cursed himself and his weakness. He couldn’t afford to let that happen while he spoke to his foes. Then again… if they thought he was wilting under pressure….
“I don’t understand… are you hurt…. you’re not dying are you….” Kaname gasped. Sousuke didn’t want her to start getting too emotional.
“I am physically sound. Mentally and emotionally I am weak. The medicines. I cannot fight them alone. I needed to hear your voice.” Kaname had helped him on a number of previous occasions. She was the logical choice, for many different reasons.
Sousuke had fleeting images of Khanka, with Kaname telling him that evil men wanted to do things to her body and would do so, if he didn't help her. He remembered sliding under Behemoth, firing at the intakes, realizing he would never have found them without Kaname's help. And Korea... the thought of her pulled him through there.
She had been his co-pilot, squadmate, or support troop in her own way.
“Sousuke…I…. Sure, I’ll do whatever I can….” Kaname sounded strong, eager, and a touch pensive.
“Just like in Khanka, Kaname. If you speak to me while I fight, I may be able to hold on. I will not need instruction, but will require the sound of your voice. I said I can do anything when I’m with you. I wish you were here with me. Your voice will be the next best thing.” There was no disguising the tenderness in his voice.
“I love you, Sousuke. I mean that. I would do anything for you.”
“Thank you, Kaname. You will never understand what that means to me. I love you too. I will need to speak with others from time to time. I can not explain why, now. But, could you please just talk to me. I can listen to that, no matter what else I am doing.”
“Yes, Sousuke. What should I talk about?” Her voice sent shivers through Sousuke. It was the same tone she used when she asked ‘Where would like to eat tonight?’ or ‘Where should I drag you shopping this time?’
“You are my heart, Kaname. Let it come from your heart.”
Sousuke heard a sound like sniffling. Kaname was probably crying.
“You just go and do your job, soldier.” Her voice got stronger. “Let me see. Yes, I know. I remember when I came to school one morning. I had been in the shower for the longest time. I felt so good, like there wasn’t a care in the world. While I yelled at Kyouko for a blind date she had set me up with, I noticed a strange new boy walk up to the school. He was stopped by the teacher. He had a gun in his book case. That military maniac. How could I know what that boy would come to mean to me….”
Kaname spoke about good times and bad. Happy times and sad times. She spoke of her feelings and his strengths. Sousuke felt himself growing calmer and stronger. As long as that voice didn’t stop, he wouldn’t be stopped.
He flipped one switch, priming all of the available Javelin missiles. Another switch fired up the Hellbore. Someone may have reasoned that the weapon could fuse parts of the bombs, making them inoperable. Whether or not that logic held true, there was going to be a hot time in the old town tonight. The sun was headed down.
The denizens of New York City were about to be treated to a light show… one way or another.
Bofors 57mm cannon in the ARX-7s free hand, Sousuke pushed the control levers and pedals full ahead. It was time to lay it all on the line.
The world would know in a matter of minutes whether or not he was successful.
“Time to hunt, brother.” The one enemy spoke in a low and hungry voice.
“Yes… me first!” The second speaker was excited, his voice brittle and sharp.
“No…. ME!!!” That voice was insistent, commanding.
Kaname’s voice continued as well.
“And then, I came out on my balcony. Know what I saw there? That boy? That idiot in a uniform! He was holding my panties. Oooooh… I could have killed him. I DID give him some lumps to remember with my softball bat. But you know, if he makes it back alive, I will let him take my panties if he wants, some day….”
“Uh… Kaname… I… need to be able to concentrate….” Sousuke was blushing. The same feelings that threatened to take control of him at The Clositers on a couple of occasions were looking for another chance.
“Oh, sorry. Eh hemmmmm. The next day, when we were lining up to go through checkout at the airport….”
Sousuke saw the two Habu Arm Slaves leap towards him. One machine held a wicked looking Multi-barrel cannon. The other held something that looked like a giant taser.
“Thank you, Kaname.” Sousuke whispered.
